


A Place To Stay

by Midsummer



Series: Be Mine? [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Fear, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Jaemin is an idiot, Jeno is an idiot, Jisung and Chenle being devils, M/M, Nomin are idiots who loves eachother dearly, Non Idol AU, Renjun is so done with Jeno's bull, Self-Growth, Short camoes of other nct members, i swear it gets better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-07-12 03:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midsummer/pseuds/Midsummer
Summary: Jeno wants to meet his soulmate again but at the same time, he doesn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys welcome to my second fanfic! This story is not related to my other story called I Will Love You (Till The End of Time) but it certainly takes place in the same au in which is one's-superpower-is-revealed-by-meeting-their-soulmate au. Catch my drift?
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Jeno found his soulmate at a relatively young age, just around seven years old, and the meeting was quite laughable because he just had to unceremoniously fall on top of his unsuspecting soulmate in the chips aisle of a busy supermarket on a family trip to an amusement park.

As clumsy as Jeno was at this age it wasn’t his fault he fell on his soulmate and made an embarrassing first impression, it was actually his sister’s fault. His sister was the one who pushed him and having lost his balance, Jeno fell on his poor soulmate. However, as much as Jeno wants to curse her for making such an embarrassing first meeting between him and his soulmate, if Jeno wasn’t pushed that day he wouldn’t have met his soulmate.

(He's kind of grateful for his sister but she doesn't need her ego to grow even bigger than it already has.)

His soulmate was an adorable boy with chubby cheeks and a beaming smile.

(And when they introduced themselves to each other Jeno got a name that will haunt his soulmate-less days and a reason why the boy was there alone with no guardians; he had lost his parents in the chocolate aisle and was visiting Incheon with his family for a family trip.)

Jeno had felt that electrifying spark when his eyes met his soulmate’s dark brown ones and suddenly he could hear voices surrounding him but his abrupt physical contact with his soulmate caught him off guard that it turned into white noise like background music in coffee shops and Jeno could only concentrate on the boy laying down before him with his silent and equally surprised mind.

“Jeno! Get off him, you’re crushing him!”

And only when his sister shriek did Jeno realize that he was facing a very embarrassing situation which will forever be marked inside his brain.

“S-Sorry!” Jeno scrambled to get up, and successfully trip on his own two feet in the process, stuttering and blushing heavily. His hands clammy and shaking with a mixed buzz of anxiety and excitement that he couldn’t help his soulmate get up properly, forcing his sister to do the work and getting the fortune of touching his soulmate’s soft skin (lucky her).

Jeno only got even jitterier now that his soulmate is standing and he got a good look on him.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay,” His soulmate, Jaemin, had smiled. Bright and sincere and Jeno, even at such a naïve age, fell in love.

-

Jeno didn’t see Jaemin again from that brief meeting and somehow he kept his awakened power a secret. He didn’t know what was the initial reason for it, just that he didn’t want people to know his power had awakened and that he had met his soulmate, unlike his sister who had bragged to every single living being when she met her now boyfriend and teased Jeno with her superpower (flight, huh, big deal).

Hearing disrupting thoughts of people around him was startling and it made him stay on alert for the whole day. Even he is awaken from his slumber at nights when the voices of thoughts hurdling around the neighborhood gets a little too loud to his liking.

Fortunately, he manages.

He plugs in his earphones and turns up the volume to the highest to draw out the voices of his surroundings, he takes the long way home when it gets too crowded in the streets he usually takes to get home, he turns to bookstores and abandoned places to unwind himself from the blurring busyness of his life, he goes to extracurricular activities where the least amount of noise would take place and joins a five people study group when his mother worries him of being friendless.

Unfortunately, his secret wasn’t kept hidden for so long.

His parents’ fights had become too loud, too unbearable for him that he had screamed out his father’s thoughts one night.

Everyone was taken off guard, they just stood there in silence and their minds subdued to a deafening quietness which was just as unbearable as the loud noise.

And Jeno, twelve at that time, didn’t know what to do. He just stood there frozen as if his feet were rooted to the floor of his once peaceful home unable to move himself from the place, the situation, too dumbstruck by his own actions. And for the very few seconds of his life, he couldn’t hear anything.

The hand touching his shoulder shocks him to reality, he jerks away from his sister instantly and staggers back and just like that obnoxious voices enters his mind like how the frosty wind rushes through the open window of his bedroom in winter nights where his sister thinks its funny to freeze her little brother to death in his sleep.

Chilling, unfamiliar and certainly uninvited.

He couldn’t differentiate between the reality which surrounds him and the voices of thoughts tearing into his brain, forcing him to listen to them like thousands of sirens blaring right in front of his ears. All of them demanding his attention.

He holds his head in his shaking hands, his legs weak like twigs and since he couldn’t stand upright anymore, he drops to his knees. He can’t see his family standing in front of him anywhere, his vision blurring and settling into disoriented colors and squiggly outlines of shapes and figures as if he was surrounded by the owner of the voices themselves, haunting and taunting and screaming and laughing at him.

_SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!_

And when it gets too much, too suffocating, too overwhelming for him to bear, he screams.

-

Seoul’s a new city. Busier, brighter, larger and definitely louder than Incheon. And in this place was where Jeno’s new family, home, school and chapter in life begins.

His new family welcomed him with open arms.

His step father was a nice and caring elder man who treats him like his own biological son. He takes Jeno, his sister and his biological son named Minhyung—or Mark because it just sounds coolerm the older claims, and he had lived in Canada where they can't pronounce his real name correctly without making it sound into some sort of joke—out to what he calls “bonding dinners” and “bonding golf hangouts”. It’s a little old fashioned but Jeno’s grateful for the effort and enjoys them secretly.

Mark’s a great big brother. He helps Jeno with carrying his things into his room on the move-in day, brings him along to his hangouts with three other seniors from his school (who, he might add, are all foreigners and weird as his Mark-hyung is but Jeno’s grateful for that because the language barrier makes it even more easier to ignore the voices streaming in their heads), and helps him with any house task that requires extra energy when his own sister’s too hesitant to help. Mark's also the one who taught Jeno how to use the skateboard, plays online games with him when he wants to procrastinate on his homework, watches movies with him till the sun rises in the comfort of his or Mark’s bedroom and keeps him company on nights Jeno can’t sleep.

The new house might not be bigger or grander than his old one but it was greater to him. It was two storey and Jeno has his own room (as much as fantastic big brother Mark is Jeno would like to have his own space where he could think on his own and hear his own voice instead of someone else’s). There was a sports club nearby and Mark likes to drag Jeno with him there whenever he wants to go swimming or workout in the gym.

His new middle school wasn’t as different as his old one and although Jeno had to get used to the new quirks of the students, strict teachers and new environment, he enjoyed it just fine. And it wasn’t hard to keep his powers a secret either since no one pays much attention to him and Jeno fades to the background with time, just how he likes it.

The changes were beautiful, changes Jeno highly appreciates and is forever grateful for however darkness crawls into his heart at times and sometimes, it wins the battle. And at these times he finds his classmates' friendly banter annoying, Mark’s aide excessive, his sister’s curiosity invasive, his step father’s kindness undeserving and his mother’s blinding smile unbearable.

And at these days he shuts everyone off and reclines to himself, sitting on the ledge of his balcony and staring at the hustling city before him in the dark hours of night and dawn wondering and thinking of all the possibilities that could’ve happen if it weren’t for him to expose his own father that one fateful day which shattered his small peaceful family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And even after years of seeing him, he was still as beautiful as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with a new chapter and I'm so sorry for keeping you guys hanging for MONTHS! I'm sorry :')
> 
> Did you guys notice that its not 3 chapters anymore? Cause I decided to expand it a little more further to make it funner for you guys to read and for me to write an HOPEFULLY I'll get to finish this :)
> 
> Enjoy~!

Music distracts Jeno, distracts him from all the pesky noisy thoughts of people around him to be exact. So Jeno hadn’t given it a second thought when he was asked by his parents about his chosen high school; Jeno wants to get into the same music and art school as his adoptive older brother.

Mark was ecstatic to hear that, he had given Jeno the biggest smile Jeno had ever seen him make and proceed to tackle him on to the floor. The two laughed as Mark playfully gave Jeno a noogie and Jeno had to promise his adoptive older brother a watermelon for his birthday before the elder finally lets him go.

The day he received his acceptance letter, he felt immensely relieved.

-

“Oh sorry.”

Jeno looks up from where he was staring off into space. The hall was noisy, as expected of a welcome assembly really, from either thoughts running through people’s minds or the lively chatter of nervous yet excited students around him.

“It’s okay,” Jeno said absent-mindedly as he fixes the earphones he was wearing so they weren’t hanging in the air awkwardly but perfectly snug inside his earlobe after the quite rough bump on the shoulder that caused them to fall out of his earlobe. Well it was expected to happen from having such large crowds and even if the large room could accommodate all of the students from the school, bumping into people wasn’t something everyone could avoid doing.

Trying to find an empty seat is a hassle anyways…

Jeno was staring off into space too so it wasn’t completely the stranger’s fault. He had learnt on how to control his powers so he could only read the minds of those he chose to and not everyone’s buzzing minds around him but wild and large crowds of people overwhelms him from time to time and the music blaring through his earphones weren’t quite helpful to subdue the noise pollution of his environment at the moment.

Jeno’s just glad it wasn’t his phone that fell, he doesn’t want to be a Mark 2.0 who always seems to get a new phone every six months or less.

(“You’re exaggerating! It was just that one horrible year!” Mark had screeched from his place on top of his bed as he tries to kill Jeno’s character. They were playing a game on Mark’s X-box after all and one of Jeno’s strategy at beating the older was by distracting him. Mark have a lot of embarrassing moments, and let’s be honest there are lots more to come in the future, those moments distracts him the most. For someone who had the blessings of composing music and being perfect at almost everything, he was a tragedy to a lot of others.

Jeno had snorted that time, punching on his buttons to attack Mark’s character because he wasn’t backing down and he wants to win being the competitive person he is. “Oh yeah? How about that time Donghyuck ignored you for a whole day the year after huh? You literally threw your phone and smash it against the window when he answered the next day! It was just January!”

Mark had went so red, spluttering all these stupid indiscernible noises and Jeno took it as an opportunity to wipe the floor with Mark’s character.

“Jeno you little shit!”

Jeno’s still smug about his victory about that day ever since.)

Jeno lifted his head up and flashed a tight lipped polite smile at the guy who he had just bumped into, the guy with faded chestnut hair and sharp eyes smiles back at Jeno and Jeno wasn’t really paying attention to it but he noticed the brief flicker of something in the guy’s dark eyes.

(As if he _knew_ something and Jeno was for that very brief moment, frightened.)

“Lee Jeno?”

“Huang Renjun?”

Jeno was taken aback at seeing the person who was standing in front of him.

Renjun was someone Jeno met when Jeno’s family was visiting China in the summer just a few months ago. Jeno was lost, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that but really though it was all the noise that got him feeling so dizzy which drove him out of crowded places and lose his family, when he met Renjun and asked for directions. From there they would stumble upon each other on that same deserted street and the two got along together not long after. Jeno regretted not asking for Renjun’s Korean number because Renjun was one of the people who Jeno’s comfortable with, he thought Renjun would be just one of those people you part with not long after their meeting.

(“Well bitch you thought,” Donghyuck would say at these moments and Jeno hates it how he knows exactly what Mark’s soulmate would say and what type of face he’s making at these types of moments.)

The identified stranger smiled widely at Jeno. Warmth bloomed inside of him, one of content, comfort and familiarity, a feeling he scarcely feels since he pulled the blinds inside his heart when his parents separated. And for that moment, he let it be, let himself bask on the feeling he scarcely feels. He smiles, one of the most genuine smiles he has ever given to anyone in his life.

-

Jeno noticed Donghyuck way before the other lad even called out his name. Its not that he has a knack for noticing people straight out of a crowd but its just about how his brother’s boyfriend stand out so much in the crowd like a sore thumb especially in the buzzing hall of monotone colored uniforms and heavily disciplined dress code.

Brown hair with highlighted colorful strands, glowing tan skin and bright lively eyes, Donghyuck was a person Jeno honestly thinks anyone would easily notice. Aside from his bright and vibrant appearance—Jeno didn’t even need to squint his eyes to notice what his brother’s boyfriend’s wearing, neon tapes? And earrings in school? Really Donghyuck?—he had a complementing bubbly personality to fit his vibrant appearance.

Jeno was a simple person. He may be quiet at most given times but when he do talk, he speaks his mind. So the words that came out of his mind were: “How on Earth did you got accepted to this school for being like that?”

Donghyuck gasped, feigning the typical dramatic hurt he always does when Jeno says something, even just a tad bit, offending. “You hurt my feelings Jeno! How dare you say that to your future—”

“You’re not even engaged to Mark yet,” Jeno interrupted. And he somehow hates how Donghyuck talks about it so lightly, like how marriage decisions are a walk in the park. Its not even about the marriages most of the time, its about what happens after it.

Isn’t he scared of it?

Donghyuck grinned, snaking his arm around Jeno and pulling him towards the shorter boy as he starts to mess with Jeno’s hair. Protesting wasn’t an option at this case and Jeno just takes the playful punishment with a very flat toned whine.

“Cute little Jeno,” Donghyuck cooed as he released Jeno from his hold. Jeno wrinkled his nose in disgust because he hates getting those kinds of compliments the most. “I am not cute,” he told the elder to which Donghyuck only snickered at.

He felt a nudge on his shoulder and he looked up at the elder with a questioning look. “Who’s your friend?” Donghyuck whispered.

“Right,” Jeno nodded. He forgot that he was with Renjun the whole time. He gave the Chinese boy an apologetic smile, gesturing at Donghyuck. “Renjun, this is Lee Donghyuck. He’s my brother’s boyfriend,” he introduced. “And soulmate” Donghyuck quickly added with a cheeky grin. Jeno rolled his eyes, so much for detail. “Donghyuck this is Huang Renjun… a friend.”

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, questioning the pause. “A friend?” he parroted. “A friend,” Renjun nodded with a smile as he shakes Donghyuck’s hand. Bless his soul, Jeno dislikes dealing with Donghyuck when he pokes into his business.

Donghyuck grins, exceptionally wide. “Nice to meet you Renjunnie,” and as Jeno expected he easily makes himself comfortable with Renjun whom he just met a few seconds prior. Jeno envies it secretly because he could never be automatically comfortable with someone so easily and yet Donghyuck here does it so effortlessly.

“Where are you from? You seem foreign.”

“I’m from China but I moved to Korea and grew up here. I grew in…”

“Oh cool! I know that place! I was born in...”

Jeno lets himself fade out from the conversation, looking down at his phone and pretended to be busy using his phone when all he does is flickering back and forth from one app to another.

“..Jeno?”

_The bell rang._

“Yeah?” He looks up from his phone, lost from his distraction.

Donghyuck smiles. His and Jeno’s personality clash each other all the time, him being too loud and Jeno being too silent, there was one thing that Jeno appreciated from the other slightly older boy. He had an understanding kind heart.

“Which class are you in?”

Jeno pockets his phone, giving Donghyuck a slight smile, “class 1-A.”

“Bummer.” _I’m not in the same class as Jeno…_ Jeno smiles faintly at the sulky voice of Donghyuck’s mind.

Donghyuck pouted, giving those big teary eyes that Mark finds absolutely adorable “Was hoping that we’re in the same class so I can at least have one familiar face.” Jeno rolled his eyes, Donghyuck and his dramatics. Donghyuck will make friends easily anyways, he won’t be alone for long.

“See you never,” Jeno waved, completely ignoring Donghyuck’s dramatic fake cries. Renjun follows him, walking in tune to his steps beside him. Jeno pursed his lips, he may not have heard the bell ringing but the mess of minds hurrying to scurry into class was deafening and bodies bumping into him on the way. Hearing was loud enough but bumping to people as he walks? It was pure torture, other than getting physically pushed by people, their mind voices sounded louder when Jeno touched them and Jeno hates it.

Curse Donghyuck for being so distracting.

“There it is!” Renjun warped his fingers around Jeno’s wrist, pulling him forward. Jeno looked up at the sign that says ‘Class 1-A’ on top of a classroom above the classroom he was standing in front of at the moment. He nodded at Renjun, wanting to get out of this commotion of mind voices of people around him. Fortunately, the staircase was just in front of them.

Renjun and Jeno hurried up the stairs, bags bumping on their backs as they go. And just when they arrived on the second floor, someone was closing the door of their classroom. “Wait!” Jeno rushes forward, gripping on the door handle and using all of his strength to pull it open.

The person gasped in surprise by Jeno’s forceful action and when Jeno came face to face with him, his eyes meeting the dark eyes of the person, he found himself breathless. The rush of breath left his lungs as the flood of noises around him suddenly ceases to exist.

He found clarity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for hanging you guys like that shishishi :)
> 
> Don't forget to click the kudos button and comment! Creative criticism is appreciated too <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno takes a leap of faith, although small and a bit unsure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have nothing much to say, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to comment later! Have a nice day!

Jeno never believed in anything that is permanent because leaves turn dry, shadows fall, nights comes, fire burns into ashes, bones perishes and… everything just changes. Nothing would stay the same forever, stagnant and unmoving. So he concluded that nothing is ever eternal. Forevers are lies uttered by those who are just clouded with selfishness and are too naïve to know the real meaning to it, to what forever actually holds. To what the reality truly was.

So Jeno doesn’t believe in forever.

(And just because he’s got his soulmate within reach once more that doesn’t mean he’s starting to believe in it.)

“What’s up Jen?” Jeno looked up to find his brother’s soulmate smiling at him. Jeno doesn’t understand Donghyuck sometimes, honestly speaking. He had these wild and fiery flames firing in his eyes, always smiling lips and rambunctious spirit. However at times, his eyes turns solemn, lips pursed into a thin line and his wild spirit dims just a bit. He would give these understanding look towards Jeno and it frightens him.

A look he’s giving to Jeno right now.

(Jeno’s frightened he saw through him.)

Jeno averted his eyes, taking his cat mug from the cupboard where he would pour his orange juice to. “Nothing much really,” he replied and took the carton of orange juice from the fridge, pouring a satisfying amount of orange juice on his mug. “Where’s Mark?”

He heard Donghyuck sigh heavily, that kind of sigh he always use whenever he’s irritated by something or someone. And Jeno doesn’t really have to hear the answer from the chestnut hair boy because his mind-voice told him enough and Donghyuck knows he can read voices of people’s mind—especially those who’s high on their mood like his brother’s boyfriend is now—nonetheless Donghyuck answered. “Busy with that squirt again.”

Jeno’s lips quirked upwards, Donghyuck was really the jealous type.

“The squirt has a name; Jisung,” he told the younger. He handed the mug of orange juice towards the other as a peace treaty of sort. Donghyuck accepted it but still rolls his eyes, Jeno chuckled. “Squirt,” he repeated and takes a sip from the mug then hands Jeno back the cup. “Thanks but I really want to spend my time with my boyfriend so could you…?”

Jeno snorted, sipping on his orange juice and nodded. “As if anyone would like to be yours and Mark’s third wheel.”

Donghyuck grinned, face bright and eyes glimmering in delight. He looks awfully just like the sun and momentarily Jeno was blinded.

“Thank you brother in law!” Donghyuck slapped Jeno’s arm with more force than necessary. Jeno hissed, the slap caused his body to shake and he nearly topples to the ground or even worse break his favorite mug.

Donghyuck did it purposely, of course.

“Ya! Donghyuck!”

Donghyuck sniggered, avoiding Jeno’s arm that was about to catch him. “As if you can catch me no-jam!” His loud laugh resounding throughout the house as he ran out of the kitchen with Jeno on his heels.

 

-

 

Park Jisung, a neighbor of theirs who frequently visits them on a daily basis due to boredom and lack of interest in his own house, had a very very confusing yet delightful mind. Not only was it always muddled but it had a timid voice of sort, hard to hear at times yet not hard enough to be dismissed. It was a pleasant change for Jeno, they had gotten along immediately after their first encounter.

“How…was it hyung?”

Jeno looked at the person next to him, who seem to not be able to stop fidgeting, with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean Jisung?” he asked, the mind-voice of Jisung didn’t really help for being so timid just as the person sitting next to him. And he’s so into the game he was playing in the X-box with the younger blonde-haired boy because so close to winning this round—

“Y-You k-know…”

_Ah…_

“Its okay,” he said after a moment of silence between the two of them. Their game completely neglected and the wide TV screen in front of them informed that they had lost the tag-team round they were playing. Shame, he and Jisung were just about to advance to the next level without needing to revive their characters.

“We met when we were still small,” Jeno continued with a small smile, his eyes falling down to the controller in his hands. “He’s a nice person.”

Jisung’s mouth hang open, eyes wide. Jeno noticed his mistake. “Y—”

_Stop._

( _I can’t I’m sorry. We aren’t meant to be. You’re not for me. I’m sorry. I can’t._ )

“He’s in my class,” Jeno rambled on. His heart sped up, the wallowing pit of something which feels like devastation and regret grew bigger inside of him, swallowing him up and making his insides churn. Everything suddenly felt painful for him. “Don’t tell Donghyuck or Mark-hyung _please_ ,” he begged, his hold on the controller went tighter than before it almost made his knuckles turn white.

Jisung stared at Jeno and what feels like centuries later, he gave a reluctant nod. “Alright… I won’t tell them.”

Waves of relieve washes over Jeno, pushing back those negative feelings from where they came from. The negatives were still there however, inkling in the back of his mind and ready to strike back once more, stronger, when the time comes for them but for now they were backed down. Jeno doesn’t know how long he could keep them there.

Jeno watches Jisung swallow, his long bony hands reached out to touch Jeno’s. Jeno never realized his hands were shaking.

“Its okay hyung… you’re okay…” Jisung comforted him as he tries to release Jeno’s hold from the controller by gently coaxing his fingers. His touches were warm, comforting, gentle and relaxing.

“Breathe for me hyung, breathe,” Jisung tries so hard to smile. It was so shaky and so misplaced in his handsome face. His eyes were swimming in tears and Jeno sees his reflection from those pained eyes. “I’m sorry for making you remember but please breathe for me hyung, _breathe._ ”

Jeno pushes himself, tells himself over and over to _get it together_ and… breathes in the much needed air.

Jeno choked for a second, Jisung brushed his arms in a controlled movement and moved just a bit closer to him. Jeno took another deep breath and clears his thoughts for a minute, cancelling out his mind-reading ability harshly to hear the sweet nothings coming out from Jisung’s mouth. He shut his eyes, concentrating hard on just breathing and Jisung’s words.

“I’m okay…” Jeno opened his eyes slowly. “You’re okay hyung,” Jisung echoed with a hurried nod of his head yet his eyes still held the unshed tears. “You’re okay,” he slowly engulfed the older into an embrace and Jeno accepts it and hugs the younger one back, despite his great dislike towards physical contact.

Jeno needed it.

And so does Jisung.

 

-

 

Renjun’s frown breaks a smile into Jeno’s placid face early in the morning.

“Your fault for sneaking in when you’re late,” he mouthed to the elder who only scoffed as he walks up to his seat which was next to Jeno, unfortunately.

Renjun had just gotten an earful from the teacher when he walked in late to the class, looking harried and so out of it and even tried to sneak in if Jeno might add. Needless to say the Chinese student’s attempt was deemed futile when the teacher called him out and lectured him in the hall.

Renjun makes a face, dumping his butt on to the seat and glared at the board in front of him. “Note to self: get another best friend and seatmate,” he muttered quite loudly as if he wanted Jeno to hear. Jeno only laughs silently behind his hand which only seemed to worsen Renjun’s mood.

Their teacher was Do Kyungsoo, the killer chemistry teacher of the whole school who also had the unfortunate opportunity to be their homeroom teacher. And every class of his, aside from homeroom, were always dead silent because everyone was afraid of him. His punishments were nightmares.

Jeno looked up to smile tightly at the warning look his teacher gave him and Renjun. Do-sonsaengnim wasn’t even glaring, he just stared at them but it successfully sent chills down to the freshmen’s spine. They quickly bowed their heads in apology.

Why did Jeno and Renjun decided to sit on the front again?

Jeno stole a glance at Renjun. Renjun’s mind-voice was such a chaos of gloom, curses and anger. He slapped his seatmate’s hand, “what’s gotten you so moody?” he whispered.

The question only made Renjun’s mind-voice activity in being angry and all out cursing like a pirate intensify. Jeno’s going to be dizzy for the rest of the class if he keeps on hearing his newly appointed best friend’s pandemonium thoughts. He gives his best friend a pointed glare.

Renjun relented with a sigh. His eyes were directed up to the roof of their classroom as if asking for patience from God himself. He then glanced at the teacher in front of them, thankfully their teacher was busy writing materials on the whiteboard.

“It’s this guy who just moved in,” he said with a low voice to not attract any unwanted attention especially from their strict teacher. “Rich and all, you know? He made me and some guys from this Chinese association mum and dad part of to go to his house and everything was fine but then… things went south after a bit,” he winced. _Alcohol, truth or dare, alcohol and lots of alcohol._

Jeno widened his eyes. “Wow, never knew you were that type Junnie.”

“I’m—”

“Would you like to entertain the rest of us as to what you’re talking about, Jeno-ssi and Renjun-ssi?” Jeno felt his face burn in shame and embarrassment. He shook his head and lowered his head, his face burning even more with the pin drop silence of the classroom. “We’re sorry!” Renjun squeaked beside him.

_Oh he’s in trouble._

Jeno bit his lip. He doesn’t want to listen to _his_ mind.

“Very well… let’s continue with the class everyone,” Jeno’s shoulders relaxed, from the corner of his eyes he saw Renjun doing the same thing. He looked up and gives Renjun a sheepish smile. Renjun replies by sighing and rolling of his eyes.

Jeno chuckled. Typical Renjun really.

_Its only the second week and we’re already in trouble._

Jeno chuckled once more, patting Renjun’s shoulder in comfort.

_At least he looks happy._

Jeno’s smile dropped.

 

-

 

“Haechan!”

Jeno stopped himself from advancing any further into the house when he heard his older brother’s voice rise and noticed the scurrying thoughts of his brother’s soulmate. He knows it wasn’t his place to hear whatever his brother is talking about with his soulmate but curiosity got the best of him the past few days when the two were suddenly firing back and forth with lines of arguments laced with anger.

It wasn’t that they’ve never fought before, in fact his brother and his soulmate fought _a lot of times._ The drama just keeps on circling around them and attracted them to even more drama with the passing years just like a moth drawn to a flame.

And every argument they have, Jeno have always eavesdropped on it. Even with the power of mind reading or just casually hearing someone’s thoughts were available to him, they were more of disarray emotions mixed with unclear pieces of words that had to be picked out like finding a needle out of a haystack. Jeno hates trying to figure out those things the most so listening with his ability somehow muted was a way for him to get a clear idea of whatever his brother and his soulmate was talking about.

Jeno pursed his lips as he rested his back on the wall.

(He doesn’t want a repeated history.)

Jeno let out a silent breath, breathing in as silent as he could when he heard the sniffle coming out of Donghyuck in his brother’s bedroom that had the door slightly open.

(He doesn’t want that taunting voice telling him _I told you so._ )

“Haechan…” Mark’s voice softened as he uttered Donghyuck’s nickname he had made and Jeno could hear the footsteps his brother took because of how deadly silent the house is. “I don’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry,” Mark’s voice was muffled, probably he’s hugging his soulmate and putting his face on Donghyuck’s neck, Jeno deduced. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry baby…”

Donghyuck hiccupped and Mark’s shushing him again. “I- I told you I don’t like it when you get too close to the girls in the cheers! She- I don’t even know who it was anymore because the lot of them just! Argh!” his sobs intensified and Jeno’s insides curl into something unpleasant, his mind flashed through a few memories of his moments when a certain someone was so damn _nice_ to the people around him.

(Don’t start. I’m nothing to him anyways.)

Mark’s chuckle was hollow, empty of humor. “Green doesn’t suit you Channie, at least not like this…” he said. “Haven’t we gone through this Haechan? I told you I’m not attracted to anyone but you and they don’t matter to me, never because I have you. You’re my soulmate.”

(But being someone’s soulmate doesn’t really guarantee you anything.)

Silence descended into the two for a few seconds, accompanied by Donghyuck’s sniffles.

(Jeno understands that disbelieve. It’s not wrong. It’s not right. It’s just there when it gets to you sometimes, the fear of being led down. The fear of grasping on to something that doesn’t guarantee you from falling. Falling as if there was no anchor in the first place that was holding you upright. Falling into something so dark and deep, with no way out.)

“Haechan, baby, look at me,” Jeno tilted his head upwards to look at the ceiling, blinking the tears out of his eyes. Jeno has a hard time from blocking himself from reading his brother’s thoughts, it was just intense in its own way. The emotional thoughts of his brother was just too sincere to be true, even though he knows how great of a brother his brother was.

(Those same words weren’t uttered when his mother needed it. It wasn’t even thought out.)

Suddenly this talk became a little too private for him to eavesdrop.

“I would never leave you,” Mark’s words managed to break whatever defenses Donghyuck had left because he had burst out crying the next second and Jeno walked away as silent as he could, the talk after wasn’t for him to hear.

He plugs his earphones, turning it to the highest volume and lays on his bed, ignoring the flood of comforting mind-voice coming from his brother and the cries of pleas from Donghyuck

(Sometimes it’s just too good to be true you had to ignore it to not let it affect you.)

 

-

 

Jeno’s footsteps stopped.

A buzzing yet hesitant swirl of thoughts behind him was bugging him out of his mind.

It was already around the afternoon, Jeno had volunteered to stay and wait for his brother’s basketball practice to end so he could go home with the elder. He was cautious of the room he was staying in to wait, his main option being the empty music room on the third floor because he knows how the library would be a very obvious place just so he could avoid the encounter with someone. And that someone being the person who’s standing behind him right now. Alas, his effort was futile because the person was just as persistent as he is.

Here comes the inevitable.

Jeno turned around, meeting the eyes of the person who Jeno’s pretty sure had been stalking him for the past few days. He took a deep breath as if to prepare himself for what will happen. His lips thinned into a fine line on his face, traces of the smile he was wearing all this time gone. His face impassive as he opened his mouth. “You’re following me?”

The other person’s mind suddenly fell into a muted silence with jumbled tiny thoughts. Jeno doesn’t know whether to appreciate it or not. On one hand, the silence gave him some sort of break from going through someone’s thoughts all the time. On the other hand, it somehow scares him that he can’t read the person’s mind being so used to reading minds all this time.

(And maybe he doesn’t want to _not_ be able to read that person’s mind.)

“I’m Na Jaemin, a classmate of yours,” Jaemin smiled then clears his throat as if to get rid of something when he clearly speaks fine in Jeno’s opinion. “I was born in August 13 at the year of the dragon in Jeonju, my zodiac is Leo, my blood type is AB, I’m an only child but I really want to have a sister, I like horror movies; I’d actually just wave and greet a ghost if I were to encounter one even though I don’t really believe in ghosts, my favorite number is three, I like the color white and I like dogs! And coffee and volunteering and, and,” he swallowed and Jeno stared as his Adam’s apple bobbed, a smile bloomed from his face as his eyes sparkled. “I really want to get to know you Lee Jeno.”

Jeno stared at the person in front of him. He stared long and hard with an open mouth and widened eyes and frozen feet and spazzed out mind.

He really didn’t see that coming. He never knew that _he_ would say all those things to him on their second encounter. Never mind all the information overload he was suddenly dumped with.

Jeno had visualized this meeting. He was going to tell his soulmate that he wasn’t enough for him and that he was just going to cause trouble in his life if they were ever to be together because he doesn’t really believe in soulmates and forevers. He would then walk away with a heavy heart and mope around all day in his room until Donghyuck or Jisung or Mark come to bug the hell out of his mind and distract him from everything happening in his life.

But this…

This took him off guard.

He doesn’t even know what he wants to say or do.

Cold hands grasped his and his breath hitched. Soft brown eyes looked into his own similar ones, gentle and soothing and he finds himself diving into that mesmerizing sea of warmth and comfort. The smile stretched on his soulmate’s face was gentle and small but it suddenly meant everything to Jeno.

“It’s okay don’t feel pressured about it Jeno, I—”

“No its fine,” Jeno interrupted him quickly. He doesn’t even understand where the sudden confidence came from but it was worth the glimmer of hope and happiness glistening in the other person’s eyes. He pushes down his fears and tries to get himself together, grasping those blinds he had covered himself with all this time.

“I want to get to know you too, Na Jaemin,” it was so easy to roll the name off his tongue. He was surprised by how smooth it went out. He smiles, the smile that led his eyes into crescents, a smile he had scarcely shown to anyone these past few years.

He squeezed his soulmate’s hands. They were cold against his warm ones but it wasn’t a problem to him because that just means they’re soulmates for a reason.

( _To complete one another._ )

And slowly Jeno tries to believe.

The blinds inside of him cracked open.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Checkmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back! I'm sorry for the long wait but please do enjoy!

Find a hobby, they say, that way it takes your mind off unwanted things or more like getting his mind off other people’s minds for Jeno’s case.

And on the quest of finding the best hobby where Jeno could be at ease with his mind, body and soul, Jeno took up drawing but it seems like it’s not the most suitable hobby for him because no matter how many times he tried, his drawings were all flawed.

But hey practice makes perfect right?

Jeno scowled at his drawing.

Haechan who was sitting beside him all this time, snickered when he saw Jeno’s attempt at drawing their hexagonal art room from a front view which was right in front of their table in the outside cafeteria.

“Stop making fun of my drawing,” Jeno glared at his friend.

Haechan widened his eyes and puts a hand on his chest, feigning innocence. “I am not even saying anything Lee Jeno, you hurt me,” he pouted and Jeno makes a face of disgust.

(Haechan is smiling again… that’s good.)

“Ew.”

“The hell are you making that disgusting face at!? I’m handsome just so you know!”

“Unfortunately only Mark sees you as a ‘handsome person’” Renjun joined in the banter with a snicker, placing his lunch box and water bottle across the table. “Hi suckers, guess you haven’t died at chem yet.”

Haechan clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Stealing Jeno’s chocolate milk—“hey!”—he flicked his finger at Renjun’s tray. “Who are you? Please stranger don’t join me and my friend on our peaceful lunch time,” he intoned flatly. “You’re too shor—”

Renjun doesn’t even say anything and just lunges at Haechan from across the table. Jeno didn’t even see it coming, surprising himself at how violent and quick the Chinese male could get when he’s short-fused. Renjun’s arm was around Haechan’s neck by the time he finished blinking, choking the other male.

“No killing in school please,” Jeno intoned flatly as he sighed and placed his art book on the table. He stares at his friends, they’re such big fans of causing dramas.

Renjun pulled away from Haechan with a glare and a pout. “That was a warning,” he hissed as he slammed himself down on his seat as Haechan laughed his ass off as if he wasn’t going to be choked to death a second ago.

 “Jeno,” Jeno raised an eyebrow at Renjun as he ate the chicken sandwich he just bought a few minutes ago. “You know Na Jaemin?”

Jeno’s throat suddenly goes dry and swallowing the piece of chicken and bread took more time than necessary. “Y-yeah…” he internally cringed at how low and squeaky his voice sounded. Haechan even gave him a suspicious glance as he ate his egg rolls.

Renjun widens his eyes a bit, eyebrows raised. “Oh? Really? But like… I never saw you interact with him in class before…?”

Jeno shrugged his shoulders and tried to seem casual. “We don’t really know each other but like he’s from our homeroom so how can I not know him, you know?” he said but those were all just half-truths. “Besides we share a few classes together like bio and ICT.”

“Oh…” Renjun doesn’t seem to believe him but he didn’t question any further.

Jeno furrowed his eyebrows at his Chinese friend. “Why are you asking me about him..?”

“Nah,” Renjun waved him off with a smile. “I just wanted to know because I saw the two of you going home together yesterday when the two of you clearly don’t talk to each other in class this whole time but I’m glad,” he pats Jeno’s shoulder. “You’re making friends at least and not just going to graduate this school with the awesome me and this singing wannabe person—”

“Hey!” Haechan yelled as an interjection.

 “—as your only friends.”

Jeno made a face and slapped Renjun’s hand from his shoulder.

“Whatever you nerd.”

Haechan laughed, taking Jeno’s art book and showing Renjun Jeno’s failed attempt at making a perfect drawing of their hexagonal shaped art room from a front view. “Renjun look!” He grinned, waving the art book like a prize medal. “Our Jeno is at it again!”

Renjun wheezed at the sight. “Oh my God! Jeno!”

Jeno, red-faced, grabbed the art book harshly from Haechan’s hand. “Give me a break guys! I don’t even take art!”

 

-

 

**From: YangYang**

_Yo Jen u done copying my bio notes?_

**To: YangYang**

_Yes._

_Thanks and sorry that it took me awhile to get it done_

**From: YangYang**

_No worries! Fyi if nana asks for it give it to him k?_

**To: YangYang**

_Yea sure thanks btw_

**From: YangYang**

_Haha no sweat Jen_

“Jeno-ah!” Mark grinned and waved his hand at his younger brother as he walked up to him. Jeno, who was waiting for his older brother, pocketed his phone and stood up from his seat in the deserted library.

“Sorry that I took so long.”

Jeno waved him off as he places his books inside his bag, he was just about to be done with his biology homework but that could be done later when he gets home. “It’s alright…” he assured with a smile. “It’s not like waiting for an hour or two will kill me or anything,” he swung his backpack on his back, ready to head home.

Mark shook his head, his little brother is a very stubborn person who refused to go home by himself and insisted on waiting for him. They usually go home together but since extracurricular activities started to go in motion once more for the year, Mark was held up for basketball practice and Jeno wouldn’t let him go home alone. Besides, their house was empty with their older sister gone to university and their parents were at work.

Mark snaked his arm around his little brother’s shoulders, the little brother he gained not long ago. The little brother who now holds a special place in his heart.

“Come on now,” he ushered, turning them around and leading them out of the library.

“Ah hyung,” Jeno fetched his phone from his pocket, halting his steps. The black phone of his vibrates nonstop with the screen turned on as a name of the caller presented on it, indicating a muted call from someone but when he was about to accept the call, the vibrating stopped and his screen went black once more.

Mark stopped walking and peered over Jeno’s shoulder, his little brother had gained height over the years. “Someone called?”

Jeno nodded silently, the screen of his phone brightens as he unlocked it. “Doyoung-hyung called…” he informed the elder.

Mark tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Their next door neighbor, Kim Dong Young who likes to be called Doyoung, rarely calls his younger brother. The two of them are close for some reason he doesn’t know but the older of the two never called before. Doyoung preferred messaging over calling because it was more—quote unquote— “convenient, doesn’t require much energy and less time-consuming” to him which was ridiculous to Mark’s opinion.

“Maybe it’s an emergency? Did he chatted you?”

Jeno shook his head with a frown. “He didn’t… I didn’t talk to him for the whole day even,” Mark grew more confused by his reply. He pursed his lips. What’s up with their neighbor?

“Ah!”

Mark perked up and peered over Jeno’s shoulder.

**From: Doyoung-hyung**

_Call me back asap_

Jeno pulled his earphones off, calling Doyoung’s number with no hesitation, placing the phone on his left ear so that Mark, who was standing to his left, could hear their conversation.

“Hello hyung?”

_“Hey kid! Sorry it’s just that there’s this kid in front of your house. He claims to be your friend but I’ve never seen him before.”_

Mark and Jeno exchanged looks at this. A person coming to their house whom Doyoung never seen before? Apart from Haechan, Jisung and a few of Mark’s friends they’ve never invited anyone to their house aside from the usual delivery men. Nevertheless they wouldn’t make plans with their friends if they weren’t going to be around the house.

_“His name is Na Jaemin. Do you know him?”_

Jeno pulled the phone away from his ear suddenly, looking at his older brother in pure horror—a look Mark has never seen him wore before.

“Hyung we have to go back home right now.”

 

-

 

“I’m really sorry for suddenly dropping by! I was in YangYang’s house and YangYang said you lived around the area and told me where your house was so I came here to take his biology notes from you. I didn’t mean to interrupt you or your brother’s hangout. I’m truly sorry.”

Jeno sighed, racking through his backpack for the notebook of his friend’s. “You should’ve told me beforehand you were coming here, that way I would’ve gone home sooner,” he told the younger as he handed over the large blue stripped notebook of YangYang’s.

Jaemin smiled gratefully, accepting the notebook and tucks the notebook under his arm. “I know, I know but we’ve never really exchanged numbers so I don’t really know how to contact you outside of school,” he broke into a wide grin and Jeno’s cheeks burned, butterflies fluttering inside his stomach at the sight of the boy in front of him.

Jeno might’ve told the younger a week ago about how he wanted to open up to the other but that doesn’t mean that it will be an easy process. That didn’t mean that he would open up right away with open arms and unlocked heart. That didn’t mean Jaemin could be close to him right off the bat. That didn’t mean Jeno wouldn’t ignore him for the incoming days in class.

(That didn’t mean he fully accepted Jaemin right away.)

“Besides, YangYang did warn you about me wanting to borrow his notes but anyways, thanks Jeno!”

Jeno shrugged his shoulders, averting his eyes from the younger. “No problem,” his voice weak and small. He feels the securitizing gaze of Mark and Doyoung, wanting to make himself disappear right then and there. God he’s blushing too much for his liking.

Jaemin’s sunny smile never left his face as he squeezed Jeno’s shoulder and walked away, not forgetting to bow politely at Mark and Doyoung along the way.

“He’s a friend of yours, Jeno?” Doyoung asked, his voice soft and low, specially used for the younger.

Jeno nodded, not wanting either of the elders to ponder on the new friend Jeno had gained. “Just a classmate,” he clarified. His voice higher and a bit squeaky than his usual. He swallowed, his throat suddenly felt dry and scorching.

Jeno looked away when Doyoung’s eagle eyes and Mark’s inquisitive gaze landed on him. The former was sharper than the latter and could easily point out the oddity in his voice and actions, pinpointing it to some conclusion. It took Jeno years of fixing his best poker face ever to even slightly fool the older. Jeno dislikes his own vulnerability. He hates how he has to be taken care by so many people when he can take care of himself dammit. He’s not a child who would scrape their own knees every time they go for a run.

“Well let’s go home then Jen,” Mark’s smile was a welcoming wind of relief. “I’m really tired and I smell like sweat and dirty socks,” he laughed at his own remark. Well at least that lighten up the dulling atmosphere…

Jeno’s face sour at the comment of his older brother. “You are disgusting hyung,” he pushed the older, a grin threatening to crack his face. “Go shower!”

 

-

 

“Have you met your soulmate?”

Jeno’s hand movement momentarily stopped as giggles erupted from behind him. He momentarily looks up to where Hyunjin and Heejin were having this conversation, their seats located just in front of his. His eyes locked with theirs and they giggled again, lower this time with red tinted cheeks as they cover their lower part of their faces.

Embarrassed of being caught eavesdropping, Jeno bowed his head slightly to them, eyes fixed on the English textbook in front of him. Flustered, he continued doing his work as the girls giggled once more. He tries hard not to eavesdrop but because of his ability, it wasn’t exactly avoidable.

The two girls were close, gossiping amongst themselves at every possible moment and its quite hard not to eavesdrop at their conversations but Jeno’s thankful for them being chatty boxers, it avoids him from hearing other people’s unwanted mind-voices and somehow it keeps him in track of his classes.

 _Hyunjin met her soulmate in a mall. Its this guy who’s in 10-A, the one Haechan talked about because he can break fruits with his hands. Her superpower or ability is her own voice, yada yada yada,_ Jeno sighed. For once the girls’ conversation was bothering him.

Why did Johnny-seonsaengnim left them to themselves again?

Beside him, he heard Renjun sigh. The Chinese male had this exasperated sour look on his face. “Have you met your soulmate Jeno?”

Jeno pursed his lips, not knowing whether to lie or to tell the truth.

(He haven’t trusted Renjun, not yet.)

“Do you think I’ll meet mine?” Renjun asked after a beat of silence between them, his face taut, jaw set, eyes oddly sharp and serious. “Is it wrong not to have one?”

Jeno frowned. He haven’t really thought about that and he doesn’t like it where this was going either. “Well...” he started as he set down his pen on his textbook. “I think you’ll meet yours one day and even if you don’t and end up not having a soulmate, that doesn’t define who you truly are as a person,” he gave Renjun that rare smile of his where his eyes turned into crescents as his lips curve in sincere. “Having a soulmate, romantic or not, girl or a boy is just an added bonus same goes for the superpowers we unleash.”

“Then…” Renjun’s words drawled, eyebrows furrowing and Jeno feels like a trapped rabit when Renjun opens his mouth and asked. “What do you think of the people who met their soulmates but don’t want them?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin and Heejin are from Loona and unfortunately I don't really know them too well but I hope I did their characters good! :')  
> The guy mentioned as Hyunjin's soulmate is Choi Jongho from Ateez, I found it cute that Hyunjin can break an apple with her own hands and Jongho can do it too but on fruits in general I was like why not? They'd make a cute couple uwu  
> Don't forget to drop a comment and kudos as you go, those things keeps me motivated honeys :)

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh with you guys I was hesitant in posting this since I'm afraid of not finishing this fanfic because I have a reputation of not finishing my ongoing stories in my circle of friends... ahaha... which is why for this fanfic I have settled on a target for making this fanfic go on for 3 chapters and it might change... but anyways! I hope you enjoyed that short chapter! Comments brings me life and kudos gets me all uwu.
> 
> Have a great day!


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